A Lucky Glance
by Venu3374
Summary: When Lily discovers Peter's treachery only days before they plan on going into hiding the Marauders make a desperate gamble to free themselves from between Voldemort's insanity and Dumbledore's 'Greater Good'. Live Lily/James, manipulative 'Greater Good' Dumbledore, eventual Harmony.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first published foray into HP fanfiction, although i've got 3 more at or over 9k words. I wanted to explore the world of Harry Potter where Dumbledore's 'Greater Good' doesn't go exactly as planned, though frankly I've only got up until year 2 outlines. There are hundreds of thousands of HP fanfics on this site so I doubt what I write will be truly unique, but I strive to at least make it interesting. Best wishes and good reading

-Venu3374

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix were never quiet.

It was something that had always irritated Lily, little enough to seem petty if she complained about it but irritating enough to get under her skin. She needed quiet to do her best thinking and planning, and there were always at least a few people coming and going. Since she couldn't have quiet, she chose to move. Pacing was almost as good as silence for thinking some days, and today she needed all the help she could get.

After months of urging and not-so-subtle hints about their safety, the Potters had finally agreed to move from the well-warded grounds of Potter Manor and hide under a Fidelius charm. Lily had argued against the decision time and time again, citing the known strength of their home's wards vs the tenuous safety of the Fidelius charm's secrecy, but after Dumbledore revealed the full contents of the prophecy to them she'd finally relented. In a week they would disappear from the public eye entirely into Godric's Hollow, and hopefully she could get a full night's sleep without nightmares of death eaters bursting through their front door and killing her husband and son.

She wandered through the hallway containing the spare bedrooms used by Order members when not on assignment, not really seeing anything specific as she was caught up in her own thoughts, and smiled slightly as she heard the her husband's voice. She followed the sound to one of the open rooms and smiled at the sight she found there. Her husband was holding Harry on a transfigured table as he tried to change a dirty diaper while her son wriggled like a fish to make the task as difficult as possible. Every time James would get close to putting the new diaper on Harry he would roll to the side, avoiding every attempt by his father to corral him, and slip the diaper out of place again. Sirius was no help either, having chosen to spectate from beside the table instead of help his brother in all but blood. As she entered the room Sirius glanced over at her, eyes dancing, and looked back at James.

"Your reinforcements have arrived Prongs. You might want to tag in the expert."

James looked up with obvious relief as Lily walked over, and nodded down at their son.

"Little devil is slipperier than a greased snitch. A little help?" She suppressed a laugh as Harry rolled to the side yet again and kicked out playfully, his foot catching James' cheek as he lost his concentration.

"You know he gets it from you, right?" She asked playfully as she nudged him out of the way. James's faux-wounded look was summarily ignored as she looked down at Harry, who babbled happily at his mother. Lily reached down quickly to tickle his exposed stomach for a second making Harry giggle as he squirmed, then grabbed the edges of the diaper. With an expertly practiced move she quickly wrapped the diaper around him while he was distracted. Harry blinked at her for a moment as if surprised how quickly he'd lost his battle, but broke into a wide smile as she leaned down to kiss his nose. As she straightened up she looked at the two men.

"We need to downstairs. The meeting starts in less than ten minutes." As James and Sirius moved towards the door Lily kissed Harry again before muttering a quick sleeping charm and placing him in the nearby crib. Once he was safely in place she began moving her wand quickly erecting a set of warning and protective wards over the crib.

"Don't you think that's a bit much Lils? I mean, we're in headquarters. It's probably safer here than at home." She felt James' arms come around her waist from behind and leaned into his embrace for a moment before answering.

"It wouldn't matter if we were behind the strongest wards in the world. I worry every time he's out of my sight." Her husband remained silent as they spent a moment staring at Harry, then tugged on her lightly. She turned to follow the silent reminder, and after one last glance walked out of the room.

* * *

The meeting was, like so many of the recent ones, an exercise in frustration. The Order, for all it's self-proclaimed mission of combating Voldemort's death eaters, was doing very little. They knew he had roughly 40 or 50 wizards under his command to their 30 or so, but not who they all were. This, combined with the reactionary nature of their recent activity had left them on unstable ground in any encounter, and it was all overshadowed by the major point of contention they all had.

Dumbledore refused to change his order not to kill any death eaters.

While definitely outnumbered, by and large the Order members were better fighters. Their numbers contained a large fraction of aurors and skilled spellcrafters, but they were handicapped by a leader that repeatedly refused to change his rules of engagement. Their enemies were throwing lethal curses in every encounter, and they were stuck using stunners. When this combined with the ever more common 'imperius curse' defence so many of the death eaters had taken to using morale was beginning to fall. When the same man you stunned trying to rape a muggleborn witch was stunned _again_ a week later trying to kill a muggle family, only to get out both times by claiming imperius control, resentment begins to breed. There was even talk amongst some of the more militant members of bucking Dumbledore's leadership and 'taking the gloves off'. The worst part was, Lily couldn't blame them. If they'd killed the death eaters they faced instead of stunned them there would be less than half as many by her count. The idealism she'd graduated with was rapidly waning in the face of the atrocities those monsters had committed and her desire to protect her family.

She'd stayed behind as the meeting began to break up, intending to speak with Dumbledore about a few more details of the Fidelius. As the room cleared she began to walk over to Dumbledore only to pause as she noticed him speaking to Peter. Her husband's friend had been pulling long hours lately, something about a new job, and in her less charitable moments she would admit she was glad the man wasn't around much. He reminded her too much of his animagus form: skittish and underfoot. As she walked over she heard him speak.

"I trust your new job has been treating you well Peter?" Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice was unmistakable. Peter looked down sharply for a fraction of a second and rubbed his left arm, and Lily's eyes narrowed as she moved closer.

"Y-Yes, it has. The hours are murder though." His mouth turned up in a smirk for just a moment before his expression faded back into the wary alertness that seemed to be his natural.

"That is good to hear my boy, I know times have been difficult for you." Dumbledore glanced down at the arm Peter had rubbed then looked back up, eyes twinkling. "Is your arm troubling you? It is not so late that Poppy will have left her infirmary yet." Peter looked up in surprise for a moment, his eyes going wide before he answered.

"No! Just a pulled muscle from working yesterday. Nothing to worry about." Dumbledore merely nodded. Before he could say anything else Moody called out from the corner to get his attention, and Dumbledore took his leave. Peter didn't bother to acknowledge the older wizard as he turned and walked away quickly, heading towards the front door. Her suspicions aroused, Lily silenced her footsteps and followed walked up the stairs to the second floor. She slipped into a sitting room with a window facing the front door and disillusioned herself as she looked out just in time to see Peter exit the building. He looked back at the headquarters for a moment before glancing around to see if he was alone, and then pulled out his wand. As Lily watched he raised his left arm and held it out in front of his body before pulling his sleeve up and placing his wand in the center of his left forearm. A loud *crack* later his body disappeared, leaving a shocked and disgusted Lily frozen in the upstairs window, her mind stuck on what she'd seen on his arm.

Peter Pettigrew had a Dark Mark.

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure it was a Dark Mark?"

Lily sighed in frustration at the question, asked for at least the fifth time in the last ten minutes. On the one hand she could see how difficult it was to believe that such a close friend had turned traitor, but constantly rehashing what she'd seen wouldn't get them any closer to a plan or change her recollection. She was pacing back and forth in the sitting room of Potter Manor in front of James and Sirius, both of whom had taken seats in some of the squishy armchairs that were scattered around. Her husband and Sirius were still in a state of shock over what she'd seen, but Lily was slowly talking them out of it.

"I know what the Mark looks like Sirius, god knows we've seen it too many times during the last few years. Peter pulled up his left sleeve and it was clear as day on the inside of his right arm."

James shuddered slightly as he hung his head.

"I just can't believe he would join them. I mean, we've been friends for _years_ , and he would condemn my son and wife to die for some idiotic racist tripe? Why?" Lily walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder in support as she heard the pain in his voice. She'd never been particularly close to Peter, having much more in common with Remus or Sirius, but her husband looked at all of the Marauders as family. Peter's betrayal would leave scars that would be a long time in healing.

"It doesn't matter why the rat did it." Sirius spat the word rat as if it was a curse. "All that matters is what we do now. You were supposed to go under the Fidelius but with Peter turning traitor there's no way that'll be safe now. He'd sell you out to his new master, and if you switch secret keepers at the last minute he'll suspect you know about him and run for it. Worse, if you catch him Voldemort will assume either me or Lupin are the new secret keepers and hunt us down."

They were interrupted by the wards signalling someone apparating to the designated spot in the front yard, and Lily rushed to the window to see who it was. Her lips curved into a relieved smile as she saw Remus' familiar silhouette walking up to the door and moved to open it. A quick hug later and she had pulled him inside to the sitting room, where he immediately picked up on the tense atmosphere.

"What happened? Your message said it was an emergency, is everyone alright? Where's Peter?" He rattled off quickly while scanning the room. His anxious expression softened fractionally when he noticed Harry in a Silenced crib in the corner, but didn't fade entirely. Before Lily could answer any of his questions Sirius spoke.

"The rat's turned traitor." His voice held no warmth for his former friend, only an icy rage that Lily had hoped never to see again. Sirius had always been the most temperamental of the four, his hard upbringing leaving mental scars that sometimes peeked out from below his normal cheery demeanor. Sirius would be the first to laugh, but break his trust or push him too far and you could see something of the famous Black temper in him.

Remus' face went from anxious to sheet white at Sirius' declaration, and he turned to James and Lily. Lily walked him through what she'd seen that night, talking calmly and clearly to minimize the effect on Sirius' temper, and when she was finished handed Remus a glass of firewhiskey.

"We were just discussing what to do now. We can't go under the Fidelius like we planned, even without Peter as the Secret Keeper the death eaters would know what happened and be searching all our friends and family to find out who it was. I won't put others at risk like that." Lily finished. While she'd been talking all three men had finished their drinks and grabbed another, and she made a mental note to cut them off if the drinking got out of hand. Horrible revelations or not, these decisions needed sober minds.

"We need to tell Dumbledore. We've known there was a traitor in the Order for a while, just never who. He can help you figure out what to do next." Remus said, but Lily shook her head slowly. Both James and Sirius looked at her curiously as she picked up her own mostly-untouched glass and took a sip before speaking.

"I don't think we can trust Dumbledore, at least not totally." The shocked silence was absolute save for the crackling fire, but she pushed on. "Before he left Peter was talking to Dumbledore, and he asked Peter about his 'new job'. Peter was rubbing the inside of his left arm at the time, and Dumbledore even offered to take him to the Hogwarts infirmary to get it checked out. Peter nearly panicked when he said that, but Dumbledore never pursued it. Someone as experienced as Dumbledore, someone actively _looking_ for a traitor, would never have missed such obvious clues." Lily took another sip before looking up again. "The only thing I can think of that fits what I saw is that Dumbledore knows that Peter is the spy, and is keeping him around on purpose. I just don't know why."

The reactions were varied. James downed his entire drink in one gulp before putting down the glass so hard the table shook. Sirius looked lost, his eyes darting back and forth as he went over every interaction he'd had with the aged wizard since he'd joined the Order, looking for daggers in every conversation. The one that caught Lily's attention the most, however, was Remus. His glass sat unnoticed in front of him, his eyes staring but seeing nothing as he mouthed words faster than she could read. It was a scene she'd seen most often during exam time at Hogwarts as Remus pulled the answer to a seemingly impossible problem from nowhere, fitting facts together in a way that had always surprised the linear-thinking Lily. As she watched his expression began to turn darker, more feral until she could see a hint of yellow in his iris, and when he finally snapped out of his daze there was a moment where all she could see was the wolf, not the man. It passed, but whatever caused momentary slip of his normally iron control scared her more than the wolf peeking out.

"That utter _bastard_." Remus snarled out, his voice roiling with contained rage. He shot to his feet in an inhumanly graceful movement and began pacing, and Lily noticed he'd moved between Harry's crib and the rest of them. His outburst finally shook Sirius from his daze and pulled James' attention from the fire as they all stared at their werewolf friend, but it was Lily who broke the shocked silence.

"What is it Remus? What else did Peter do?"

Remus didn't stop pacing, but he did slow down as he shook his head and glanced over at them.

"Not Peter. _Dumbledore._ " The growl was back in his voice at the mention of the elderly wizard. Through the haze of his anger he saw the confused glances coming his way and looked down. It took another few moments to push the wolf down enough to answer, and was made even worse by the fact that both he and the wolf were in agreement for once.

"And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives." Sirius and Lily continued to look at Remus in confusion but all the blood drained from Sirius' face.

"He wouldn't." There was both a plea and a denial in his voice as he looked at Remus, begging to be told that the man they'd held up as their best chance against the darkness wasn't as dangerous to them as the enemy. Remus, however, was unflinching as he spoke.

"What is Dumbledore's favorite phrase? The 'Greater Good' is just a nicer way of saying the end justifies the means. What's one life against thousands?" Sirius' face still held traces of his pleading expression while both James and Lily would have fallen if they hadn't already been sitting down. Lily's gaze moved over Harry, still asleep in his crib, before returning to Remus.

"You really think Dumbledore would kill my son just to fulfill some bullshit _prophecy!?_ " Her voice rose to a screech at the end. While the existence of seers was a known fact in the magical community Lily had never met any, and all the research she'd done had convinced her that prophecies were, by and large, a waste of time. It was far more common for the subjects of a prophecy to cause the events to happen trying to _stop_ the prophecy than for anyone to accurately use them to any advantage. The thought of someone trying to kill her son to fulfill the nonsensical ramblings of some random 'seer' was pushing her towards a sort of furious hysteria.

"No, but I think Dumbledore would engineer the resolution of the prophecy so that he no longer feels restricted by it." James' reply surprised all three of them, and he sighed as they focused their attention on him.

"Ever since Dumbledore heard that prophecy the Order has been on standby. He's resisted all attempts to plan large operations and curtailed most of the smaller ones to the point where we're just watching the death eaters act. I think Dumbledore believes that as long as the prophecy is in play there's no point in attacking Voldemort, and no way to win the war. If he points Voldemort at us either something happens to Voldemort and we win, or Voldemort kills us and Dumbledore can act without restrictions." The others were silent as he spoke, his words putting the lack of action over the last months in a disturbing new light. The crackling of the fire was the only sound as their thoughts all turned towards the sleeping infant in the corner and the prophecy that painted a target on his back.

"So what now? Do we disappear, or try to expose Peter?" The disillusioned tone of James' voice made Lily's heart ache, and Sirius's words only made it worse.

"Even if you expose Peter, then what? Nobody will believe us about Dumbledore, hell even _we_ don't know for sure. I think the only definite thing is that the Fidelius plan is scrapped."

"Or not" Now all the attention was on Lily.

"You want us to go into hiding at the mercy of a traitor and a man who might be setting our son up to die!?" James asked incredulously. Lily's nod in response only confused him more, at least until she turned to face them and explained.

"We know the prophecy says that only Harry can kill Voldemort, and vice versa. That means that if we go under the Fidelius that for the first time we have an idea of where Voldemort will _personally_ show up. Instead of responding to a raid we actually have a chance to set a trap." The audacity of trying to trap the most powerful dark wizard in the country struck them all temporarily dumb, allowing her to push on.

"As long as Voldemort and Dumbledore think Harry under the Fidelius we control the setting. Voldemort won't bring too many people with him, he wouldn't want to explain why he needed so many people to kill a baby, and that means he'll be at a disadvantage." Remus' expression began to turn thoughtful as Lily spoke.

"Harry doesn't have to actually be there either as long as Voldemort _thinks_ he's there. Transfigure something to look like a baby in a crib as bait and the entire house could be rigged as a trap. Maybe some kind of explosive potion or something." He paused as a thought struck him.

"How do we deal with the prophecy?" Lily's questioning glance was matched by both Sirius and James, although the other 2 men had a healthy dose of confusion over the whole quickly-developing affair.

"I know divination is an... _imprecise_ art, but the two most powerful wizards in the country believe this prophecy, and it says only Harry can kill Voldemort. Combine that with the rumors we've heard out of Voldemort's camp of his supposed 'immortality' and there's a real possibility that he might survive any trap we set." Both Lily and Remus were frowning now, but James's expression was resolute.

"We don't need to kill him." He looked at his son as he spoke, his voice steady. "If we assume Voldemort is immortal and that only Harry can physically kill him, then we need to disable him some other way. Just because he can't be physically killed, however, doesn't mean he's unbeatable. Replace the explosive potion with something like an aerosolized Draught of Living Death to knock him down, and we can obliviate him into a drooling husk." His expression sharpened as his voice took on a vicious note. "Immortal or not he's no threat to anyone as a mindless idiot. After we obliviate him we transfigure him into something innocuous, a pebble or something. Voldemort just disappears."

The atmosphere had shifted from the initial depressed tones towards a more hopeful feeling as the plan began to seem more and more possible, but one major obstacle remained.

"Dumbledore obviously believes there's no chance for us to beat Voldemort, otherwise he wouldn't set up something like this in the first place." Lupin said. "There's a chance that he'll still try and set up Harry to die, assuming that as long as Harry wasn't the one to kill him Voldemort will come back somehow. Not to mention that every death eater in the country will be after you if word gets out that you were the last targets he went after." He glanced at the crib for a moment before facing his friends again. "You might consider going into hiding to get away from both of them. If this works the death eaters will be leaderless, and we can use Voldemort's disappearance after attacking you to push for a more aggressive stance in the Order." Sirius and James both nodded, but Lily was still concerned.

"Where would we hide though? Dumbledore has enough leverage with the goblins to get a list of the Potter properties and leaving the country leaves too much of a paper trail. He's smart enough to look for things like fake passports and we're too well known to hid in any magical community. Glamour charms aren't foolproof and any mistakes would out us." A decade of being exposed to Dumbledore's influence on the British magical community had left Lily very wary of his capabilities in that arena. Dumbledore had had over 4 decades of hero's accolades to build up his reputation, and she was rapidly coming to suspect that he would go to great lengths to see the prophecy fulfilled. There wasn't anywhere she could think of in magical Britain safe from his influence.

"Go muggle." Sirius' suggestion was a surprise mostly because of his lack of exposure to muggles. James had spent some time in the muggle world with Lily's parents and at his wife's side, but Sirius had had almost no exposure to that world. He noticed the surprised looks his friends were giving him, and shrugged.

"Dumbledore may be a half-blooded but he's spent almost all of his time for the best part of a century in the magical world. Add that to the fact that, from what Lily's said the muggle world has changed enormously in the last century, and he's as clueless in the muggle world as I am. I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to find you outside magical Britain, and the death eaters are likely even worse off which makes it your safest bet, as long as James can keep from making a fool of himself." The last was said with a wry smile and pulled light grins out of Lily and Remus while James shot a hex at Sirius that caused his hair to try and strangle him. Lily took a moment to savor the momentary break in the tension before using her own wand to release Sirius, who looked pleased that his attempt at levity had worked. With the two jokers back in serious mode Lily turned to James, eyebrow raised.

"It _would_ keep us safe from pretty much everyone who wants to hurt us." She said as she looked at him. There was a brief moment of silence as she watched her husband weigh the pros and cons of disappearing to the muggle world before giving her a lopsided smile.

"They'll most likely declare us dead if we pull this off, what with us disappearing and Voldemort on the loose. If we transfer the contents of the Potter vault to Katibisi the Ministry won't be able to track any of it, and we were going to lock down the Potter properties anyways with us going into hiding. Since the lockdown can only be lifted by a Potter by blood or marriage while at least one of us is alive even if the ministry declares us dead and tries to pass the inheritance on there's nothing they can do." It always surprised Lily how well James could plan on the fly. It was him, more than anyone else, that kept the marauders from being caught when one of their pranks backfired. If not for him their discipline record would have been miles longer than it already was.

With their plan beginning to take on a semblence of order Lily walked over to the crib and looked down at her son lovingly. Despite all the chaos surrounding his short life he slept peacefully, and she vowed she would do whatever it took to ensure neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore changed that.

* * *

" _The things I do for the Greater Good"_ Dumbledore thought as he sat in his office in Hogwarts, going over his war plans. The death eaters had been relatively quiet lately, normally a sign that they were building up for something big, and Dumbledore was sure it would happen after Halloween. Tom had always had a penchant for theatrics, a trait that had only grown with his rebirth as a dark lord, and killing the 'prophesied child' on Samhain would appeal to him. Dumbledore could only hope his foresight in keeping the Order's combatants mostly benched would ensure enough of them were in fighting shape for whatever happened afterwards. With Tom no longer protected by the prophecy's aegis Dumbledore could begin his campaign to strip away his immortality and power.

" _With Tom's defeat magical Britain will be safe from such catastrophic change once more."_ Dumbledore thought as he mentally reviewed the Order's forces. He spared barely a thought for the Potters, unavoidable casualties of war as they were, and less than that for the mournful stares Fawkes sent his way.

* * *

Godric's Hollow was an old wizarding village, one that hadn't seen a muggle inhabitant since long before the Statute of Secrecy came into effect. The small cottage that Dumbledore had cast the Fidelius charm over was set off the main thoroughfare but not quite at the outskirts, and the academic in Lily was constantly amazed that they could be sitting so close to so many families and yet remain completely concealed. More than once she'd seen someone come within inches of the barrier without giving the slightest indication that they sensed anything.

Currently only she and James were in the cottage, Harry having been spirited away with Lupin to the muggle home in Crawley they'd purchased through Katabisi bank under Lily's maiden name. Although James had taken a leave of absence from the auror department when they'd gone under the Fidelius Sirius had stayed on the force, reckoning that an inside man would be more useful in the long run than an extra wand on-site. With the cottage already rigged with a series of modified muggle military gas bombs filled with a modified Draught of Living Death absorbable through the body's mucous membranes and her son safely hidden away in a world the death eaters had little to no understanding of there was very little for Lily to do besides brood. Samhain was a bigger holiday in the wizarding world than the muggle one, and even with the ever present atmosphere of fear caused by the death eaters there were signs of celebration in the Hollow.

"And instead of celebrating with the rest, I'm waiting for a madman to break down my front door so I can bomb him." She muttered under her breath.

" _We're_ waiting, love" James's voice came from behind her as she felt his arms circle her waist from behind. She leaned into his touch as they stared out the window, glad for his presence. They both had a bad feeling about today, a chill they couldn't shake like someone walking over your grave. The tension of living while constantly on the lookout for Voldemort had nerves on edge, and Lily found herself touching James more and more often to reassure herself that he was alive and well.

"It'll be tonight I think." She said, not looking at James. She felt his head nodding behind her, and a part of her was relieved he shared her fears. "We've prepared as much as we could. If the gas bombs don't take him down the mines Remus planted should at least give us time to get away." James tightened his arms around her but didn't answer.

"I'm scared." She whispered just loud enough to be audible. The sun was completely down now, the lights from celebrating households sending strange shadows in the night. Lily hadn't had a good night's sleep since they'd come to the Hollow, partially from worrying about Harry and partially from fear for her husband and herself. The exhaustion was taking a toll, but the double cracks of apparition at the edge of the ward barrier sent a spike of adrenaline through her blood and brought her fully awake.

"He's here." She said unnecessarily, as she'd felt her husband tense behind her.

"There" He muttered softly, indicating a patch of shadows near the front gate. At first she couldn't make out anything in the darkness, but as her eyes adjusted the silhouettes of two figures became clearer. As they came closer to the cottage she could make out the outline of the most terrifying _thing_ , not even a wizard really at this point, that she'd ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on accompanied by a familiar squat outline.

"He only brought the traitor with him? He really must not have wanted an audience for this." James muttered darkly as Voldemort and Peter made their way towards the front door. They'd planted the explosive mines all around the property, but the gas bombs were located only on the first floor of the house. They weren't sure if Voldemort's inhuman features were more than skin deep or how many men he would bring, so they'd hedged their bets on the knockout plan. The fact that both figures were walking straight across the minefield gave Lily hope that their backup plan was undiscovered, and that Voldemort's disdain for all things muggle was working to keep their trap hidden.

"We could do it, right now." She heard James mutter as he stared at the ground around Voldemort's feet. "One button and Voldemort's dead…." His voice trailed off as he stared at the man who had killed so many, both friends and strangers, but Lily squeezed his arm and shook her head.

"Even without the prophecy we don't know if he'd die James. I know he's an arrogant sod but he's also one of the most skilled wizards alive. If he _did_ find a way to guarantee his own immortality….we can't take the risk, not with Harry's life in the balance. Stick to the plan." The mention of his son had the intended effect on her husband, and he nodded sharply as they watched the two figures approach the front door. With the entire first floor about to be filled with dangerous gas neither Potter wanted to set foot downstairs, but the firm knock on the front door surprised them both.

"He's actually knocking!?" Lily whispered incredulously while fighting down a hysterical giggle. She could see a similar shocked look on her husband's face as they both wondered what to do, and pointed down at the front door while shrugging. All of their plans had assumed that Voldemort would follow normal death eater tactics and barge inside, so the show of even minor courtesies was...unsettling. Neither Potter moved as the knocking came more insistently, but both stiffened when a high-pitched voice came clearly from downstairs.

"It is impolite to keep your guests waiting Mr. Potter."

Lily shivered and clutched James's hand in a vise grip he gratefully returned as they heard Voldemort speak. His voice, like his body, seemed unnatural, an abnormally high pitch for a grown man and was all the more disturbing for it. Lily raised her free hand to her lips in the universal sign for quiet as she looked at James who nodded in agreement. Neither one of them thought they had any hope of taking Voldemort in a fight, and the farther away from him they stayed the better.

A disappointed sigh was clearly audible from downstairs as they waited, and that abnormal voice rang out once again.

"You of all people should be aware of the rules of hospitality Lord Potter. Your confidant has so graciously extended your invitation for this Halloween night, and to leave us sitting in the cold can only mean that something is amiss. I fear I may have to force entry to ensure your continued health." His tone was jovial at the end as if enjoying a personal joke, and both Potters could feel their hair raise as a wave of magic washed over the front door. Whatever spell Voldemort had used easily overpowered the locking spells and wards on the front door in moments, and the moment they'd both been waiting for had come. Neither dared breathe for fear of alerting Voldemort to their location,

The door opened.

The sound of calm, measured footsteps came from the front hallway heading towards the main living area, followed several seconds later by a second set of quicker erratic steps. They passed through the living room into the kitchen at a measured pace, then came to a stop next to the hallway leading to the guest rooms and other floors.

"You told me they would be here Wormtail." Unlike before the high-pitched voice was quiet, forcing Lily to strain to make out the words. James raised his wand as the steps stopped near the center of the first floor.

"I assure you my lord, Dumbledore has ordered them not to leave the house, there is no way-" The spell James used was so simple it didn't even need movement. A weak ball of force, barely enough to knock a cup or bottle over, flew from the tip of his wand. It headed straight for the laundry chute that connected the each floor to the basement laundry room and slipped inside as it headed for its destination on the first floor. The ball impacted on a concealed pressure plate at the base of the stairs, setting off a series of interlinked devices primed with explosives designed to spread their attached containers of modified Draught of Living Death as quickly and widely as possible. There was a moment just after the spell where James feared he'd missed or the bombs had misfired, and then a loud *whumpf* sound came from below and he a small trace of grey mist drift up the stairs.

Each second that passed felt like years as the couple waited for the gas downstairs to disperse, and neither dared move as they listened for any miniscule sound from the first floor. The pounding of their hearts was the only sound either of them could hear. Finally after several minutes of panicked stillness Lily released her death grip on James's arm and slowly straightened up. James followed her a moment later, both taking great pains to make no sound, and crept to the stairwell. When he looked down at the ground floor he felt a sense of wonder at the sight that met him.

Two figures were laid out on the floor below him, to all appearances dead and still. What had James shaking his head slowly however was the fact that the larger figure, a man he'd once classed as a brother in all but blood, was laid over the terrifying form of Lord Voldemort pinning him to the ground. The incongruity of someone the entire country feared pinned under someone like Peter… well nothing could have convinced James more firmly that their plan had worked. He looked at Lily with a growing smile as they both walked down the stairs and stopped right in front of the two figures.

"It worked" He breathed reverently, only to flinch as Peter's chest rose shallowly. When neither figure moved he let out a shaky breath and turned to Lily.

"We can't take a chance of him waking up. I'll call Sirius and Remus. You know what to do." Lily nodded as her eyes took on a hard look. James stepped to the side as he pulled out his communication mirror and Lily stopped in front of Voldemort's head, wand out. She looked down at the man that had put so much fear into so many and had a fleeting moment of sadness for all the good someone with that much power could achieve before pointing her wand between Voldemort's eyes.

"You will never touch my son" She whispered fiercely. Each hair on her body rose slightly as she focused every bit of her magic into her wand for one spell.

" _Obliviate"_


	2. Chapter 2: Passing Time

**CHAPTER 2**

* * *

 **A/N: I have played a bit with the ages of some characters (really only 1 at this point, but still). Hopefully this won't make anybody particularly angry. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Clashes in the Wizengamot!**_

 _by Warden Asherton_

 _Today marked yet another combative day in the Wizengamot as Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore's efforts to delay the vote for the proposed 'Equal Truth' bill came under fire. Voting for the bill, which pushed for mandatory Veritaserium usage in all investigations and trials for crimes requiring incarceration or fines exceeding 500 galleons, has been delayed for the third time by Chief Warlock Dumbledore's refusal to place the item on the official agenda. When asked for a reason behind his refusal to support what many are calling a 'common sense' law, the Chief Warlock would only say "such a momentous change of judicial policy deserves more deliberation than we have so far given it. It is our duty to ensure that the traditions of the Wizarding World are not changed for frivolous reasons". Lord Sirius Black, leader of the coalition pushing for the bill, responded: "The 'Equal Truth' bill was proposed more than a year ago and has the backing of both the DMLE and the majority of Magical Britain. The best legal minds in the country have had a say in it's wording, and it's purpose is increased protection for the people of this country. Chief Warlock Dumbledore's refusal to put the bill to a vote smacks of abuse of power from a man who wants tradition for it's own sake." The last three years have seen increasing friction between the traditional 'light' bloc and Dumbledore, once it's uncontested leader. Many assumed the arrest of several high-ranking ministry official as terrorists in the wake of You-Know-Who's disappearance three years ago would allow this bloc to push a progressive agenda for years to come, but this conflict hints of rocky waters in the political scene and no solution in sight._

James set the paper down next to his coffee as he looked across the table at Sirius, still dressed in his Wizengamot robes, and sighed.

"The old bugger just won't give up, will he?" His best friend merely shrugged as he attempted to fit an entire piece of toast into his mouth before washing it down with a spoonful of porridge. The black hole that was Sirius' stomach never ceased to amaze him, almost as much as his predilection for eating breakfast foods at any time of the day.

"It's Dumbledore. We're talking about the same man who pesters me about your whereabouts at least a dozen times a month despite the fact that you've not been seen in over three years." Sirius tilted his head thoughtfully. "Although he _is_ right about me knowing what happened to you, so i guess…" James laughed and shook his head as he dropped the newspaper on the table.

"I just don't get what he gains from opposing the bill. Like the paper said, it's common sense." The bill, originally Lily's brainchild funneled to the DMLE through Sirius, had been ready for a vote for almost five months. Dumbledore had refused every request to put the matter to a vote in that time.

"It's change." Lily's voice came from behind them both and causing James to smile. She'd been holed up in her basement lab alone for several hours as she worked on a new charm and both James and Sirius knew she did her best work alone. Several years of marriage had taught James that, sweet though his wife might normally be, disturbing her while she was experimenting was normally followed by sleeping on the couch, and she had charmed the damn thing to repel any sort of cushioning spell.

"All laws are change." James said, but to his surprise it was Sirius that answered.

"Not really. The majority of the laws under Dumbledore's tenure have been little tweaks to standing laws. For a long time it was very rare for anything big to get done, and the 'Truth' bill changes one of the long-standing traditions of the Wizengamot."

"Plus you have to remember Dumbledore is over a century old." Lily added as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a gallon of milk. She filled a glass and took a long draft before speaking again. "Magical Britain hasn't changed nearly as much as muggle Britain in that time, and he probably doesn't see a _need_ for change. After all, this is the same society that holds up the founders and Merlin as the end-all of magical prowess. They're not exactly big on progress."

James and Sirius were lost in thought as she finished the last of her milk before placing the glass in the sink and grabbing her coat from the rack near the door.

"I've got to pick up Harry, are you staying for dinner Sirius?" She called as she zipped up the front. The temperature had dropped precipitously in the last few weeks, and she had never been a fan of the cold.

"As much as I'd love to I've got to get back. Amelia and I are meeting with a few of the more moderate-leaning Traditionalists to try and drum up a few more votes." Lily's back was to Sirius which meant he missed her raised eyebrow at his casual reference to the head of the DMLE (and head of the Bones family) by her given name. They had been spending a lot of time together lately, but she was almost a decade older than him and was his superior in the auror corps at one point. "If we get a full majority we can push for a vote of no confidence if Dumbledore keeps stonewalling us." Sirius continued, oblivious to Lily's thoughts.

"Best of luck then, and give Alice my best if you see her." Lily called before stepping out the front door. The Longbottoms were on the very short list of magical families that knew the truth about what had happened to the Potters, as neither James or Lily had wanted to lose touch with such close friends.

As they heard Lily's car drive off and the garage close Sirius smirked at James.

"She's still insisting on a muggle education?" He asked, remembering the rows they'd had over the subject.

"Vehemently" James replied while shuddering slightly as he remembered his nights sleeping in the living room. "She's adamant that Harry be allowed to choose whether or not he wants to live in the magical world and that he get at least a basic muggle education. I was worried about accidental magic but so far nothing's happened." James's lips twitched upwards as he thought of Harry's 'accidental' magical outbursts. Unlike the stories he'd heard of his own childhood from his parents, Harry's accidental magic was suspiciously consistent. From the number of times his son had summoned toys or banished his vegetables (especially peas, which he _loathed_ for some reason) James was beginning to think Harry's magic was less 'accidental' and more 'instinctive'.

"She does know he has to go to a magical school until he at least sits his O.W.L's so his magic isn't bound, right?" Sirius asked as he finished the last of his porridge and looked at his friend.

"If Harry wants to live in the muggle world we'll provide him with tutors. The laws are old but they exist, and it's not like we can't afford it." James said as he took a sip of his coffee. ' _Truly the best invention of the muggle world'_ He thought as Sirius digested that piece of information.

"And if he chooses to live as a muggle?" Sirius asked, his gaze never wavering from James who didn't hesitate at all in his answer.

"Then my son lives as a muggle." His voice held a note of finality as if daring Sirius to argue. "The muggle world produced my wife while the magical world tried to kill my son. I'd rather he be happy and safe in the muggle world than unhappy and persecuted in the magical world any day." Sirius thought about that for a moment before nodding. A sly smile lit up his face as he raised an eyebrow at James.

"Plus any other answer would have you on that couch again, right?" James groaned in response.

"Six nights on that thing was enough for a lifetime. I swear she cursed it….."

* * *

The preschool Lily had picked out was about as average as you could get. Average cost, average number of children, the entire thing was picked to give Harry as normal a childhood as was possible for three magicals hiding away in the muggle world. Lily might have made the choice to live in the magical world, a choice she'd never regretted as it gave her James and Harry, but she'd always thought the Hogwarts' policy of showing up on a child's eleventh birthday was insulting. Threatening to mind-wipe a child and their family if they didn't radically alter their plans in the space of at most a year was not conducive to rational decision making, and she wanted her son to have the choice she felt in many ways she'd been denied. To that end she'd shoved her instinctive fear of letting Harry out of her sight down (though she still loaded him up with monitoring charms) and enrolled him in a local preschool to interact with kids his age.

Learning to drive had taken some getting used to after spending so much time using wizarding transport, but she'd come to like the drive over to Harry's preschool and the feeling of normalcy she got from picking him up at the end of the day like any other parent. It reminded her of her own childhood, and she was infinitely grateful Harry wouldn't have to grow up under the spectre of Voldemort as so many children had.

She pulled up to the parking lot of the preschool alongside several other cars, presumably parents there to pick up their children, and walked through the front doors to the area they'd dubbed the 'activity room'. There were about twenty-five young children interacting with each other in relative peace, and she couldn't help but smile as she spotted Harry playing with a set of letter blocks alongside a girl with curly brown hair. While she was debating whether or not to break up the heartwarming scene in front of her something made Harry turn towards her, and her smile turned radiant as his face lit up with joy.

"Mummy!" Harry went from sitting to running so fast Lily almost thought he'd apparated, his small legs propelling him forward with surprising speed. Lily held her arms out to catch her son as he came close, helping him bleed off momentum by spinning him around the the moment he came into her arms. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she held Harry and reassured herself that he was alright. Even after three years in the muggle world Lily had trouble shaking her instinctive need to keep him safe at all times. Seeing him happy and healthy like this made all that effort worthwhile.

While Harry was delighted to see his mother it didn't take long for his young mind to focus on a new subject. He squirmed slightly in Lily's arms until she set him down, at which point he grabbed her hand and towed her over to the young girl he'd been playing blocks with. She looked up as Lily and Harry came closer, and Lily was surprised to feel Harry's hand slip out of her own as he ran over to his playmate and pulled her towards them.

"Mommy, meet Hermine!" Harry beamed brightly, but the little girl next to him scowled slightly.

"Hello ma'am. I'm Hermi _o_ ne." She introduced herself politely, stressing the third syllable. Harry blushed as she looked at him archly before muttering an apology, eliciting a laugh from Lily.

"It's very nice to meet you Hermione. Thank you for keeping Harry company." She smiled at the young girl before the alphabet blocks on the ground caught her eye. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment and looked back at Hermione who suddenly looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Exploration?" The word spelled out in blocks was something Lily would not have expected someone their age to spell, it was definitely beyond _Harry's_ capabilities. Hermione shuffled her feet nervously as Lily looked at her, and her back heel caught the edge of the stacked blocks. They wobbled for a second before starting to fall, but before they could go more than a few millimeters Lily felt a pulse of magic and they righted themselves. She shot a quick glare at Harry who immediately looked contrite, then turned quickly back to Hermione.

"I hope I'll see you again sometime Hermione. Thank you again for keeping an eye on Harry." Lily scooped Harry up and quickly signed him out before walking back to the car. Once Harry was belted in and they were on the road she allowed some of the tension in her shoulders to relax, and glanced at her son.

"You know you're not supposed to do that Harry." To his credit her son didn't try to deny what he did.

"I was helping. The blocks fell." His reply was slightly petulant as if he couldn't understand why he was being scolded for something so obvious. Lily sighed as she stopped at a red light and turned to fully face Harry.

"I know sweetheart but your daddy and I have talked to you about this before. You can only do magic at home, otherwise we could all get in trouble. Please Harry, don't do it again." She said while feeling slightly guilty for scolding him. She loved the convenience of magic and often found herself doing the more tedious house chores with it just because it was easier. Harry's magic seemed more responsive to his whims than most people's, and telling him to hold off on doing magic while she used it so casually had to be sending mixed signals. Harry gave a small sigh and nodded as the light turned green, but his next question almost sent Lily into the bumper of the car in front of her.

"Mommy, if I'm not allowed to do magic outside how come Hermione is?"

* * *

As Sirius watched the last of the Wizengamot members file out of Bones Manor he gave a huge sigh and sank into one of the comfortable armchairs adorning the sitting room. The meeting had been long and trying with Sirius feeling like he spent much of it beating his head against a brick wall, but it was not all useless. A few of the neutral families had seemed receptive of their pitch against Dumbledore, maybe not for ideological reasons but out of distrust for the 'Leader of the Light'. The smell of tea and a cup entering his field of vision caused him to sit up with a groan as he gratefully took the saucer from Amelia, smiling at her in thanks for her kindness.

"That could have gone worse, I suppose" She said as she sipped her own tea.

"We knew most of them would be a long shot anyways Am." Sirius replied as he took a large gulp of the warm liquid. "Most of the death eaters may be gone from the Wizengamot, but their sympathisers still hold to the same ideals. Even snubbing Dumbledore isn't enough for them to give up the immunity they've enjoyed for so long." The Regent Bones nodded her head sadly at that as her thoughts turned to the chaos of three years ago. Peter Pettigrew showing up in a DMLE holding cell with a signed confession and a list of death eaters that included several Wizengamot members and prominent heads of old pureblood families had caused an uproar lasting weeks. When the dust had finally settled a large number of the "dark" block had been tried and sentenced while more than a few of the 'neutral' block had come under investigation. While the dark block had taken a huge hit and hated Dumbledore on principle, losing the right to waive Veritaserum was a step most would never endorse.

"I just...this isn't something that we should have to fight for." His head hung dejectedly. "This should have been a law right after Veritaserum was invented, but there's so much bloody _politics_ involved." He didn't look up as he felt a hand come to rest lightly on his shoulder but leaned into the touch slightly. As much as he protested when Lily brought it up Sirius couldn't deny he took a great deal of comfort from Amelia's presence, comfort he sorely needed after all the backdoor politicking they'd done tonight.

"We'll get there." There was quiet conviction in Amelia's voice as she spoke. "Five years ago nobody would ever believe a bill like this would even have a chance, and now the only thing stopping it is an obstinate old man. History wasn't made in a day Siri, and each step forward puts a little more distance between us and the dark ages magical Britain has lived in for so long." It was an uncharacteristically poetic speech for the normally blunt woman but Sirius nodded his head after a moment's deliberation. Their society was moving forward, even if a large portion was being dragged along kicking and screaming, and he was proud to stand at the forefront. He hoped Harry and Susan would never have to go through the terror his generation had known, a hope that was at the core of every move he'd made in the Wizengamot. His dark mood broken for now, Sirius gave a tired groan as he slowly stood up and cracked his back as he glanced at the door.

"I suppose it's getting late, and we have another set of committee meetings tomorrow." He said halfheartedly. Both of them knew how little Sirius wanted to return to the manor at Grimmauld place he'd inherited with his parent's death. He'd taken up the mantle of the Black family for the legislative influence it offered and the opportunity to give the Potters a little more protection, but the old house was too much like a mausoleum for him to ever be comfortable in it.

"We've got more than enough guest rooms Siri, and showing up to a committee meeting sans arms because you splinched yourself in exhaustion would be embarrassing." Amelia's tone was playful but insistent as she pushed led him away from the door and deeper into the manor. Sirius's token protest was soundly ignored along with the look of relief that had crossed his face at her offer, but both of them had small smiles as they walked upstairs.

* * *

Sirius was gone by the time Lily pulled the car into the garage of their home in Crawley and Harry's constant chatter about his day let Lily's mind drift over what he'd said. When Harry had first mentioned Hermione doing magic she'd had a fleeting thought of packing everything up and moving all three of them to another town. They'd gone through an enormous amount of effort to prevent anyone from finding their whereabouts, and the thought of some obliviator checking up on a muggleborn's accidental magic and finding them was the stuff of nightmares for her. Once the initial panic had passed she began to look at it as more of a good thing than bad: Any magic picked up by the Ministry would be attributed to Hermione, which shielded Harry's slip-ups quite nicely. The part of her that wanted to lock Harry in a warded room with a 24/7 guard was still panicking slightly but overall she was beginning to think of the whole event as a stroke of luck.

As four-year-olds were wont to do Harry crashed not long after dinner, falling asleep almost mid-word as he and James waged a mock-war with sets of animated plastic soldiers. Lily made a pot of coffee as James put Harry to bed and accepted a mug gratefully when he reached the kitchen again as he waited for his wife to tell him what had her so distracted. She outlined what she'd seen at the daycare and Harry's comments about Hermione in short order only to raise her eyebrow at James who'd broken down laughing as soon as she finished speaking.

"I fail to see what's so funny about this _my love_." Lily ground out the last part in a frosty tone. James managed to calm himself down to just the occasional involuntary laugh as he stared at his irritated wife before answering.

"It's just the Harry has definitely inherited the Potter luck. We choose an area with _zero_ magical presence to hide from the magical world and somehow our son finds a muggleborn witch less than a month after starting preschool. Next thing you know he'll have brought home a stray hippogriff he found in the parking lot." He took a deep pull from his mug while his wife's irritated expression slowly faded. He put his mug down on the counter before walking over to his wife and pulling her into his arms.

"It could be worse you know." He murmured softly. "We're safe, _Harry's_ safe. Anything else we can deal with in time. Besides, it might be good for him to have a friend like this Hermione." James carefully pronounced the Shakespearean name, careful with his enunciation after hearing about Harry's mistake. "He's had so little opportunity to interact with kids his own age that I worry sometimes. Neville and Susan are great, but they can't come over much and still maintain our secret for long." Lily nodded and allowed a small smile to form. Her drive to protect Harry was not without reason, but she had to admit it had denied her son some of the normal parts of growing up. Having a friend that was both his own age and nearby could be a good thing.

"You think her parents have noticed anything?" She asked James curiously. Lily didn't remember many specifics about her own accidental magic, only that her parents had mentioned 'odd happenings' from when she was young.

"It's possible, especially if it happens enough for Harry to pick up on it. In an area like this I doubt they have any idea what's going on though." He replied with a slight frown as he began to see where Lily's train of thought was going.

"Lils, we can't." His wife's expression instantly turned stormy and James spoke quickly in an attempt to head off his impending doom.

"There are laws against revealing the magical world to muggles, you know that. We can't risk anything pointing Dumbledore our way!" He said, hoping the mention of the man they suspected had set their son up to die would be enough to divert her anger. While it did pull some of the intensity from her ire it failed to divert it all.

"I remember the day McGonagall came to my front door James, how it made my family feel to be denied that knowledge for over a decade. The Wizengamot expects muggleborn families to send their kids away with no preparation and more importantly no _choice_." They'd had this argument before but it had always been hypothetical. Now there were real people influenced by it, a little girl Harry had played with and parents who had no explanation for the unbelievable things they might have seen.

"Showing up on a family's doorstep and telling them they need to give up their child or have someone mess with their heads isn't a choice James, it's an ultimatum. We can give this family _years_ to prepare for what's ahead instead of having it sprung on them. As for Dumbledore finding out their daughter is Harry's age and muggleborn, what contact would he have with them before their daughter is 11?" James couldn't help hearing the passion behind her argument and the unspoken wish that _her_ family had been given the help she was proposing. The former Auror in him was wary of breaking a law as ingrained as the Statute of Secrecy, but the more he thought about it the less telling Hermione's parents seemed like a violation. After all the Statute was never intended to apply to the family of muggleborn witches and wizards. His reluctance was further worn down by the idea of his son having friends he could be himself around instead of hiding a huge facet of his life, but the death knell was the borderline pleading look his wife was giving him. He never could argue with Lily when she turned that look on him.

"Fine Lily, we'll tell them." His sigh was short lived as her thank you kiss combined with celebratory bouncing temporarily shorted out his brain. Lily smirked as she saw the effect she'd had on her husband even after several years of marriage before turning her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"We'll have to meet them face to face for this." She mused while her husband recovered the ability to form coherent sentences. "Maybe propose a playdate and use it as a chance to sound them out as people. I don't want to put Hermione in a bad position if they turn out to be like Tuney and her husband." Her face hardened as she thought about her estranged sister. Petunia Dursley nee Evans's hatred of magic had poisoned their once-close relationship to the point where she hadn't bothered to accept or reject her invitation to Lily's wedding, instead choosing to just not show up. The idea of telling Hermione's parents only to make her the focus of hatred like that was not acceptable. James nodded his agreement immediately, well aware of his sister-in-law's attitude and in-line with Lily's precautions. Lily noticed the still slightly dazed look on his face with a smile and decided that planning could wait until tomorrow. Right now she needed to thank her oh-so-understanding husband.

* * *

The playdate had been a huge success for Harry and Hermione, but it was the Granger's obvious pride and love for their daughter that made up Lily's mind. She and Emma had hit it off fairly quickly as both young mothers were more than willing to talk about their children, while Dan and James had established a sort of friendly detachment while watching the children. James's history as an ex-Auror had meshed well with Dan's quiet demeanor, even if their vastly different upbringings meant the two had little in common besides their children. When Emma had extended an invitation for dinner Lily only had to meet James's eyes for a second before agreeing, her hand tapping the disillusioned wand holster on her arm to tell James her plan.

Dinner followed the trend of the day with good conversation and much laughter, and a curious Emma agreed to talk to the Potters alone after dinner with little prodding. It took only a few minutes to settle the two children in the den downstairs under James's watchful eye before both Dr.'s Granger claimed seats in the living room with Lily, whose attention was apparently on internal thoughts.

"You've been growing more nervous by the minute Lily, I hope whatever you want to talk about isn't something bad?" Emma inquired gently. Lily jumped slightly as if she'd forgotten they were before giving Emma a guilty look.

"No Emma, nothing bad. Just the opposite in fact. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to lay this out." She replied, her tone nervous. A few moments of thinking later she gave a slight shrug and a slight smile before looking at the Grangers.

"Have you ever noticed anything….strange happening around Hermione?" As if a switch was thrown the atmosphere surrounding the two Grangers turned shocked and nervous. Emma's eyes were darting around the room as if looking for hidden dangers while Dan was staring at Lily with a wary expression.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lily said wryly as she watched the couple in front of her. "Please, I'm only asking because if I'm right I can help explain what's happening." Emma stopped looking around and focused squarely on Lily while Dan's expression now held a hint of hope. Rather than try and explain with words Lily, using _very_ slow and deliberate motions, pulled her wand from its holster before pointing it at the unoccupied love seat. In other circumstances the Granger's reaction, mouths open with shock, would have been funny as she used a silent levitating charm to raise the seat, but Lily was too nervous to laugh.

"What….how…." Dan's silence was broken by a look of combined confusion and wonder.

"I'm a witch." Lily stated. "Just like James and Harry are wizards." Emma was the first to break from the sight in front of them.

"How can Harry be a wizard? Isn't he a bit young to be doing….that?" Lily smiled as she directed the love seat back to its original position.

"Being a witch or wizard isn't a religious choice or a skill, it's an inborn trait. Harry was born a wizard just like Hermione was born a witch." Dan was still looking at the love seat like he expected it to fly away at any moment but Emma was focused on Lily now.

"You think Hermione is a witch? If it's a genetic trait and neither Dan nor I are witches, how could that be?" Lily was taking the questions as a good sign, she much preferred them to anger or denial.

"Normally magical children, the literal kind, are born to magical parents. As far as I can tell the chances of a child being born magical seems slightly higher if both parents are magical but the vast majority with at least one magical parent are born that way. Sometimes though witches or wizards are born from parents with no magical ancestry. We're not sure why, but it happens often enough to make up a good percentage of the magicals in Britain." Lily paused as she looked at Emma. "It happened to me." Emma's eyes widened as she looked between Lily and the door that led to the den.

"Normally you wouldn't be told about the magical world until Hermione's eleventh birthday with her Hogwarts letter, but I personally think that law is discriminatory. Plus this way Harry has a friend around his own age that he doesn't have to hide anything from." Emma's brow creased in confusion as questions began to build up, but Dan's question cut to the heart of the matter.

"But there's nothing physically or mentally _wrong_ with Hermione, right?" Lily's negative seemed to take a weight off the man's chest, and his expression shifted back towards the normal quiet acceptance that she'd come to know. She could tell Emma still had a lot of questions but for Dan the most important thing was taken care of: his baby girl was fine and everything else they could deal with. By the time the Potters, with Harry asleep in James's arms, waved goodbye and walked to their car Lily felt like she'd been ransacked for information, but also that she'd gained two good friends that day.

* * *

The last three years had not been particularly kind to Albus Dumbledore, and it had all started that Halloween night. Plans laid in place years earlier had gone up in smoke like so much dross in one night and the downhill plunge had not stopped there. Every attempt to find out where the Potters had disappeared to had been a frustrating failure, and once-loyal followers had turned against his guidance in the most petulant ways headed by that damnable Black.

The follow up article to yesterday's Wizengamot coverage was every bit as critical as the one before, and the worst part was that the Prophet might even be underplaying things. The bloc he'd controlled for the better part of four decades had largely gone rogue and was now following the guidance of a _Black_ of all people, leaving Dumbledore's political power severely hampered.

" _Why can't they see that all I do, I do for the Greater Good"_ He thought in an uncharacteristic moment of frustration. To a man used to getting his own way for so long the recent frustrations had been….difficult to deal with. The one bright spot was his confidence that he would find the Potter's eventually, and when he did his plans could be restarted from where they left off.

" _Nobody can run from fate forever my boy."_ He said as he stared at an old Order picture featuring a baby Harry in his mother's arms. " _Nobody"_.

* * *

Sirius black stepped through the floo at the Potter's house in Crawley with his arms full of squirming girl. Susan Bones was a sweet girl to be sure, but like any young child she was wary of something as foreign and flashy as floo travel and Sirius had had trouble keeping her from falling mid-floo. He wasn't sure what would happen if she _did_ fall, but he wasn't about to endanger his fledgeling relationship with Amelia by losing the girl she thought of as a daughter in the floo system.

"That'd be just perfect" Sirius muttered under his breath as he set Susan down. "How was my day? Good, nothing spectacular besides losing Susan in the twisting nether that is the floo."

"Who's lost in the twisting nether?" Sirius looked up to see Alice Longbottom looking at him with a bemused expression as Susan toddled away towards the playroom Lily and James had set up for Harry. Sirius could hear Harry and at least one other young voice coming from the room, and assumed Alice had already dropped Neville off to play.

"No one, just thinking morbid thoughts." Sirius replied as she gave him a quick welcoming hug. "Susan isn't particularly fond of floo travel and I was worried I'd drop her for a minute there. Amelia would _not_ be happy with me." He immediately tensed as Alice gave a sly smile, the same one Lily sported whenever she was about to embarrass him greatly.

"Amelia, eh? And why are you the one taking care of the heir Bones Mr. Black?" Sirius groaned slightly at her ribbing but decided to treat the whole thing like the muggle bandaids Lily had once covered him in as retribution for turning her skin yellow. Doing it all at once would prevent prolonged torture later.

"Yes Alice, _Amelia_. And try not to make a big deal in front of Susan, I'm trying to make a good impression with her. She means a lot to Amelia." Surprised at his serious tone Alice merely nodded once before leading him to the playroom. His face instantly broke into a smile as he saw Harry and Neville playing with a set of toys shaped like magical creatures, but it was the sight of Susan stacking blocks with a brunette girl that confused him.

"Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the unknown child. Before Alice could answer a voice came from the door to Lily's basement lab just before the redhead came into view.

"That's Hermione, she's a friend of Harry's from preschool." Sirius nodded and said nothing as he looked at the children (one of whom, Harry, was intermittently animating a stuffed dragon) for several seconds before his eyes widened in shock.

"She's a friend from Harry's _muggle_ preschool!?" He exclaimed as he turned to towards Lily who nodded with a smile. Sirius's head whipped between the kids and Lily several times before she took pity on him.

"Relax Padfoot, she's muggleborn." Sirius's confusion abated slightly while a tinge of suspicion entered his expression.

"And how does a young muggleborn girl know about magic?" Lily's smile didn't falter an inch, if anything she looked even more innocent.

"You didn't." Sirius's voice was flat with disbelief causing Lily to cock an eyebrow.

"I didn't break any laws Sirius Black so don't take that tone with me. Hogwarts may chose to leave muggleborn families looking for answers until their eleventh birthday but there's no legal reason why we can't tell them sooner." She said challengingly. Sirius ran his hand through his hair for a moment before responding.

"The whole point of living out here was anonymity. What if they let your identity slip?" He said with concern.

"Slip to _who_ Sirius? They're muggles in the middle of an area that had practically no magical presence. Hermione's outbursts have been too small for the obliviators to get involved so far and they have no ability to contact anyone we're hiding from. Of all the people who know they're the _least_ likely to let our secret slip of all." Lily's expression softened as she looked toward the playroom where all four children had been drawn into some sort of game involving a set of brightly colored pick up sticks. "Besides, Harry needed a friend close to home that he could see more often, and Hermione needed someone to tell her the accidental magic wasn't a bad thing."

Lily's neat rebuttal of his arguments had taken the wind from his sails, so Sirius dropped the issue. Ingrained habits died hard, but he couldn't argue that Lily had followed the law (technically) and the four children were getting along so well he couldn't bring himself to protest too much.

Sirius only stayed at the Potter's for a few more minutes before mentioning a meeting he had to attend and leaving through the fireplace. He was gone for less than a minute before Alice turned to her best friend with a wide grin and a nod towards the departed Lord Black.

"So….Sirius and Amelia?" She asked and laughed as Lily's smile mirrored her own. Deep in the halls of the Ministry of Magic Sirius Black inexplicably began to sweat.


End file.
